~ art, food, travel

Munsterhaus

I’m a meat lover. Having many vegetarian friends, I’m sometimes less than enthusiastic about accompanying them to vegetarian restaurants and veggie bars. Don’t get me wrong—I love my vegetables (and my vego friends!)—but I had never really experienced a memorable vegetarian meal. That changed on November 30th, 2010 (yes, I remember the date)…

My first visit to Munsterhaus, in Fitzroy North, BLEW MY MIND. The set-up at the art deco-inspired cafe is buffet-style. Pick your bowl size (I’m stuffed with just a small) and watch your dish get loaded to the brim with as much of whatever you point at.

The salads they make here are the best I’ve ever tasted. Quinoa salad, pasta salad, noodle salad, tofu salad, it goes on and on… To be honest I’ve only tried a handful because I can’t not have the ones I’ve already tasted whenever I come here. There’s also a selection of hot dishes, dips, and desserts. It’s all made fresh, every morning on site.

All dishes have such unique flavours, yet compliment each other beautifully. I’ve never had enough room for sweets, but if they’re of the same calibre as the rest of the food, I’m missing out. They make a fantastic flat white too.

The service here is friendly and homely; it kind of feels like hanging out at your favourite aunt’s place. It’s kid-friendly but not your typical young-mother haunt (you know those cafes that make you feel out of place if you don’t have a baby in your arms?).